Downfall

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 delivers a remarkably smooth experience in Downfall, a 2016 horror title, across all tested resolutions and settings. Benchmark data shows this combination not only meets but far exceeds the 60 FPS playability threshold, with even the most demanding preset at 4K clearing the bar. The measured results show a system with substantial headroom, making it a strong candidate for high-refresh-rate displays and ultra-quality settings alike.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo reveals a performance curve that scales predictably with resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, the RTX 4070 and Ryzen 9 7900X produce exceptional frame rates. With Low settings, the average FPS reaches 312.8, a figure that drops to 252.9 on Medium and 212.0 on High. The jump to Ultra settings yields an average of 132.7 FPS, which still represents a 121% increase over the 60 FPS playable threshold. This indicates that the CPU and GPU combination is heavily GPU-bound at 1080p, with the CPU's 12 cores and 24 threads providing ample headroom.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains impressive but shows a predictable decline due to the increased pixel count. Low settings produce an average of 222.7 FPS, Medium follows at 185.1 FPS, and High delivers 153.2 FPS. Ultra settings at this resolution still achieve a robust 93.1 FPS average, which is 55% above the playable threshold. The scaling between Low and Ultra at 1440p shows a 58% performance drop, suggesting that the GPU's 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for the higher quality presets without significant bottlenecks.

At 3840x2160, the most demanding resolution, the data shows the first signs of strain. Low settings average 137.6 FPS, Medium drops to 116.2 FPS, and High settles at 96.0 FPS. Ultra settings at 4K produce an average of 60.9 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold by just 0.9 FPS. This narrow margin indicates that 4K Ultra is the absolute limit for this configuration, and any additional background load or thermal variation could push it below the playable mark. The performance delta between 1080p Ultra (132.7 FPS) and 4K Ultra (60.9 FPS) is 54%, underscoring how resolution scaling impacts the GPU's raw throughput.

The data also shows interesting scaling between settings. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 180.1 FPS, while at 4K, the same settings gap is 76.7 FPS. This suggests that at lower resolutions, the CPU can feed frames faster than the GPU can render them, but at 4K, the GPU becomes the primary constraint. The lack of min and max FPS data in the measurements means we cannot assess frame-time consistency, but the average FPS figures alone indicate a stable experience across all configurations tested.

FAQ

*Q: Can this PC run Downfall at 4K resolution?*

A: Yes, but only barely at the highest settings. The measured data shows Ultra settings at 3840x2160 produce an average of 60.9 FPS, just 0.9 FPS above the 60 FPS playable threshold. All other settings at 4K — High (96.0 FPS), Medium (116.2 FPS), and Low (137.6 FPS) — provide comfortable margins above the threshold.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gaming with this combo?

A: Ultra settings at 2560x1440 yield an average of 93.1 FPS, making it the most demanding preset that still clears the 60 FPS threshold with a 55% margin. This is the recommended configuration for high-fidelity visuals at this resolution.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 9 7900X has an average benchmark score of 53288, which places it within 0.6% of the AMD EPYC 7313P (53206, 0.2% delta) and 0.6% above the Intel Xeon 634 (52974). It trails the Intel Core i7-14700F (53620) by 0.6%, showing these processors are essentially performance peers.

Q: Is the RTX 4070 significantly faster than its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 4070's average benchmark score is 37648, which is nearly identical to the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (37628, 0.1% delta) and the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (37507, 0.4% delta). It is 1.3% slower than the RTX 4080 Mobile (38135) and 1.3% faster than the Radeon PRO W6400 (37157), indicating very tight competition among these GPUs.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1080p with High settings?

A: The measured data shows an average of 212.0 FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings. This represents a 253% increase over the 60 FPS playable threshold, making it ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors.

Q: Does the game favor the CPU or GPU at lower resolutions?

A: The data indicates that at 1080p, the CPU's performance headroom (12-core, 24-thread Zen 4 architecture with a 5.60 GHz boost clock) allows the GPU to reach very high frame rates, as seen in the 312.8 FPS Low setting result. As resolution increases to 4K, the GPU's workload grows, and the frame rates drop proportionally, showing the GPU becomes the limiting factor.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that maintains at least 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average of 132.7 FPS. This provides a 121% margin over the playable threshold, offering maximum visual quality without sacrificing smoothness. The data shows that even at Ultra, the system has substantial headroom for future game updates or additional background tasks.

At 2560x1440, Ultra settings remain the best choice, delivering an average of 93.1 FPS. This is 55% above the 60 FPS threshold, ensuring a consistently fluid experience. The gap between Ultra at 1440p and the next step down (High at 153.2 FPS) is significant, but Ultra still maintains a comfortable buffer, making it the recommended setting for this resolution.

For 3840x2160, Ultra settings barely clear the playable threshold with an average of 60.9 FPS. This is the most demanding configuration that works, but the 0.9 FPS margin is razor-thin. For a safer experience, High settings at 96.0 FPS provide a 60% buffer, though Ultra remains technically playable based on the data. The 4K Ultra result of 60.9 FPS suggests that this setting should be used with caution, especially in scenes with heavy particle effects or complex lighting that could cause frame drops.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Ryzen 9 7900X's nearest CPU rivals, based on average benchmark scores, include the AMD EPYC 7313P with an average score of 53206 (0.2% delta) and the Intel Core i7-14700F at 53620 (-0.6% delta). These processors would deliver nearly identical performance in Downfall, meaning users upgrading from either would see negligible frame rate differences. The Intel Xeon Phi 7290 (53469, -0.3% delta) and Intel Xeon 634 (52974, 0.6% delta) also fall within a narrow performance band, making them viable alternatives for this workload.

On the GPU side, the RTX 4070's nearest rivals are the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (37628, 0.1% delta) and the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (37507, 0.4% delta). These GPUs would produce within 0.4% of the RTX 4070's frame rates in Downfall, meaning the 1080p Ultra result of 132.7 FPS would be nearly identical. The RTX 4080 Mobile (38135, -1.3% delta) and Radeon PRO W6400 (37157, 1.3% delta) also show minimal divergence, suggesting that the entire group of GPUs would deliver comparable gaming experiences.

The tight clustering of these scores — all within 1.3% of each other — indicates that component choice within these rival groups would not meaningfully alter the gaming experience. A user swapping an RTX 4070 for an RX Vega 56 would see virtually identical performance, while the CPU choice between the 7900X and the i7-14700F would also have negligible impact on the measured FPS figures.

The Verdict

The data definitively shows that this PC can run Downfall at all tested resolutions and presets. At 1920x1080, all settings — Low (312.8 FPS), Medium (252.9 FPS), High (212.0 FPS), and Ultra (132.7 FPS) — clear the 60 FPS threshold by wide margins. The 2560x1440 results follow suit, with even Ultra settings achieving 93.1 FPS, well above the playable mark.

At 3840x2160, the verdict is slightly more nuanced. The data shows that all four settings are technically playable, with Ultra at 60.9 FPS being the only configuration that comes close to the threshold. This 0.9 FPS margin means that while the game is playable at 4K Ultra, it leaves no room for error. Users seeking a stable experience at 4K would be better served by High settings (96.0 FPS), which provide a 60% buffer. The verdict by resolution confirms that the system is capable of running the game at every resolution and preset combination tested, with 4K Ultra being the only borderline case.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 ranks 823rd out of 3716 tested combos in Downfall. This placement in the top 22% of all configurations indicates that the system performs well above average for this game. The rank reflects the balance between the CPU's strong multi-threaded performance (Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 29300) and the GPU's solid rasterization capabilities (Passmark G3D score of 26927).

The ranking position suggests that while this combo is not at the absolute top tier of performance, it sits comfortably in the upper quartile, providing ample power for Downfall's horror-themed rendering demands. The gap between the 823rd rank and the top performers likely reflects the presence of higher-end GPUs like the RTX 4080 Super or RTX 4090 in other combos, but for the 3716 tested configurations, this pairing delivers above-average results.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals distinct roles for the CPU and GPU depending on resolution. At 1920x1080, the CPU's influence is most apparent. The Ryzen 9 7900X's 12 cores and 24 threads, combined with a 5.60 GHz boost clock, allow the RTX 4070 to reach its maximum frame output. The 312.8 FPS Low setting result at 1080p is likely near the GPU's rendering ceiling, as the CPU can feed frames faster than the GPU can process them.

At 2560x1440, the balance shifts toward the GPU. The 58% performance drop from Low (222.7 FPS) to Ultra (93.1 FPS) indicates that the GPU's workload is increasing, while the CPU still has ample headroom. The RTX 4070's 29.15 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 158.4 GPixel/s pixel rate become the limiting factors at this resolution, though the system still delivers strong results.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's dominance is clear. The 4K Ultra result of 60.9 FPS suggests the RTX 4070 is nearly maxed out, while the CPU's role diminishes further. The 54% performance drop between 1080p Ultra (132.7 FPS) and 4K Ultra (60.9 FPS) underscores how pixel count drives GPU load. The CPU's benchmark scores — including the Passmark multi-thread score of 51406 and 3DMark max threads score of 12536 — indicate it has no trouble keeping up with the GPU at any resolution, making the GPU the definitive bottleneck at higher resolutions and settings.